1940 Buick Limited Sport Phaeton, 81C 🇺🇸

This Limited Sport Phaeton, as seen here as it arrived at the NB Center,  came with an interesting, but as yet unproven story. It was reported that the original owner was Admiral Husband Kimmel, Admiral of the US Pacific fleet at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. As such, this car could have been on the Navy base at the time of the attack.

The car came from the estate of a Buick collector in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. While the car looks very shabby, it is a very complete example in untouched, if not needy condition.

The engine was found to be too far gone to make it run  and will require a total rebuild. With the brakes and engine rebuilt and the remainder  of the  car made mechanically functional, the car will get some serious preservation work done to the interior to make it driveable again.

There is no plan to restore this car so the history, if proven, can be retained and preserved.  If any readers know anything about this car and the story that goes with it, we would like to hear from you. 

Company
General Motors

Make
Buick

Model
Limited, 81C

Body Style
Sport Phaeton,  4-door, 6-pass.

Body Manufacture
Fisher Body

Model year
1940

Wheelbase
133 inches

Length
213.25 inches

Engine
inline-8, OHV, 320.2 cid

Horsepower
141 hp @ 3600 rpm

Transmission
3-speed manual, column shift

Original Base Price
$1,952

Brand Production
283,404  model  year

This Car Production
230

Buick sales were growing steadily from the depths of the Great Depression in 1933-34 to a new all time high in 1940. The brand was able to accomplish this, in part, by offering a wide variety of body styles  in a broad range of prices.

Buick made a change to their line-up in 1940. The top of the line Limited was now split into different wheelbase lengths, the 133 inch was the Limited series 80 and the 140 inch Limited series 90. Roadmaster and Century would now both share the 126 inch wheelbase. The series 90 would only include the largest six and eight passenger formal sedans and limousine.

The new naming convention aside,   Century, Roadmaster, and all Limiteds  utilized the same 320.2 cubic inch engine. With the new grille design and revised front fenders with headlights  fared in,  the car took on a decidedly more modern look. But the convertible sedan body styles retained their outside running boards, unlike the closed car bodies which did away with running boards as a standard feature  in favor of clean uninterrupted lines from top to bottom.

1940 was the first year for all cars to be equipped with oil filters, sealed beam headlights and built-in directional signals. A long list of options available from the factory made it possible for buyers to personalize their car in ways not seen before. From the more functional items such as fog lights  to comfort items such as underseat heats to the most indulgent items such as rear seat radio in the limousine, Buick customers had more model, body style and options to choose from than ever before.